Police say the homeowner was inside his house on Decota Drive about 3:45 p.m. Monday when he heard what sounded like a break-in. As he checked out the noise, he saw his neighbor walk outside.

The neighbor told police he saw the suspect trying to push the door open with his shoulder.

Police said the suspect saw the neighbor and walked to the side of the home.

The neighbor then slipped out of sight and police said the suspect tried once again to force the door open.

The homeowner then walked out of his house and saw the suspect walking toward the street. The homeowner stopped the man and told him to wait until police arrived. When the suspect attempted to flee, police said, the neighbor joined the homeowner and together they boxed in the suspect.

One of the men called 911 from his cell phone.

Stoughton police officer Edward Barker arrived moments later to find the two men with the suspect in the front yard.

Police said the suspect tried to attack Barker and that a struggle ensued.

The officer and suspect wrestled for a short time before the officer threatened to use pepper spray, a non-lethal chemical compound that causes severe irritation to the eyes and skin.

Police said Barker used the spray because the suspect continued fighting. The suspect then swatted the spray out of Barker’s hand and tried to use it against him, police said.

Officers Brian Holmes and Allen Curtis arrived as Barker was trying to pin the suspect to the ground.

“It took all three officers to get him under control,” Stoughton Police Executive Officer Robert Devine said.

The Fire Department responded to the scene and took the suspect to Good Samaritan Medical Center in Brockton for decontamination from the pepper spray and treatment for a cut above his eye he sustained during the struggle, police said.

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